Barnet Borough Council has been urged to allow the press and public into a meeting which will decide the fate of the mayor.

Today, the Times Series has released a letter it sent to the authority ahead of tonight’s Group Leaders Pane, where members will discuss the conduct of Hale Councillor Hugh Rayner.

Although a motion to exclude the press and public from the meeting has been put forward, the Times Series strongly disputes this.

The complaint was made by GLA member for Barnet Andrew Dismore, but certain parts of it have been disallowed on the grounds they do not fall under the Members Code of Conduct.

As a result, it will only consider Cllr Rayner’s failure to declare the fact that he is a landlord in committee meetings and the improper use of his position in dealing with council officers.

Fellow Conservative and council leader Cllr Richard Cornelius, who is due to chair the meeting, has previously denied the mayor should resign.

We believe excluding the press and public would clearly lead to allegations of a cover up and that the council’s priority should be to ensure members of the public believe justice has been done.

If the meeting is held behind closed doors, we have asked the authority to explain to our readers why it believes the taxpayers deserve to be kept in the dark.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at Hendon Town Hall, in The Burroughs.

Follow our live blog from 5pm tonight and tweet us what you think using the hashtag #RaynerPanel.

Times Series: